Health

Homeopathy is a system of medicine based upon the phenomenon that substances, which cause a particular illness in healthy individuals at high doses, can be used to cure or mitigate similar symptoms when given in very small doses.

History

In 1790 a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann, distressed by the toxic medical methods of his day, abandoned the practice of medicine.  At the time, the primary arsenals of medicine were bloodletting with leaches, and the use of toxic metals. Hahnemann was a linguist and, to support his large family, he went to work as a translator.

Everyone suffers from mild anxiety from time to time, but chronic anxiety takes a tremendous toll on the body, draining energy resources and keeping the body in a constant state of stress. The effects of anxiety are magnified when the body is not exercised: tension in the muscles builds, breathing remains constricted most of the time, and the mind has no rest from the whirling thoughts and feelings that feed the anxiety.

There are  several approaches to reducing impact injuries common to sustained aerobic training.  This entry will focus on a strategem used by trainers in a variety of settings.  Virtually every training situation, from rehab to sports training, can benefit from interval training.  Generally defined, an interval is a short period of time during which exercise intensity is increased.  To a jogger, an interval is a short sprint mixed in before returning to normal pace.  A walker on a treadmill might increase speed or elevation for a few seconds, then return to their sustained speed.  Any temporary increase in intensity constitutes an interval.  There are many uses and benefits to this approach, but the first task is to clarify the term intensity.

Q: You have requested I stop caffeine in order to help my arthritic pain symptoms.  This is very difficult for me to do, can you be more specific as to why I should comply with this request?

A: Look caffeine up in the Physician’s Desk Reference, you will be shocked to find out what a serious drug it is.  When you imbibe caffeine, you do not just wake yourself up but overstimulate every nerve in your body, including pain fibers.  Just as important as the biochemical side effects of this element, is where it falls on the scale of alkalinity and acidity.

Q:  As I was cleaning my deck last week with bleach and pine sol, last week I thought I was having a stroke.  My right ear began to hurt and my face went numb with some symptoms into my right arm.  After being rushed to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital for 2 days, I was sent home with a clean bill of health. My face is still numb and drooping, my ear still hurts and when I drink liquid falls from my mouth.  I am supposed to see a neurologist in two weeks, what is wrong with me? 

A: A lot of ingredients in our cleaning products, dish detergent, shampoo and body soaps contain left over ingredients that were once created for biological warfare.  These products were just shifted to be used against bacteria ete.  For example, fluoride was not created to make our teeth white, nor was chlorine created to clean pools.  

As the baby boomer generation matures, increasing attention is focused on treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.  Popular strategies for maintaining bone density include estrogen replacement and supplementation of calcium and vitamin D.  Recent research supports that specific modes of exercise are also effective at preserving bone health while delivering additional dividends.  
Bones are very active tissues which respond to stimuli.  Although not as dynamic as muscles, bones do increase in strength when systematically taxed.  Also like muscles, bones have a “use it or lose” nature.  Astronauts, male or female, begin to lose bone density after a few weeks of weightlessness in space.  

Q: I seem to frequently fall on my right side. I have had several injuries over the last ten years but it seems whenever I fall it is always on the right side. Do I have some type of neurological problem?

A: Sometimes when someone has an injury there can be an imbalance created at the pelvis. Especially if one leg went out in front and the other went backwards or if the fall was on one buttocks or the other. The ilia which is like a wing of the pelvis rotates on the sacrum, the ball and socket joint becomes compromised in that the leg for which the ilia is rotated in the forward plane appears longer to the rest of the body as compared to the other side.

Q:  I own a business that requires a lot of lifting boxes from 10-50 lbs.  Owning this business has required me to give up my workout time. Can lifting the boxes substitute for working out ? I did wrench my back pretty bad on a bigger box, I should mention I am a woman also.

Q:  I have had a great deal of myofascial release over the years and I would like to wrap up my need for treatment, how do you make the results last?

A:  When are you ever done with myofascial release is a great question.  Personally, I have found that I was living a good life in pain fairly early on. Treatment relieved pain gradually over time as though I was an emerging ice sculpture.  Treatments were expensive and being young I had a great deal to learn before I put myself first.  

Q: I fell off my horse two weeks ago and broke my rib.  My hip and shoulder are sore on that side to.  I could use treatment on the hip and shoulder however, can osteopathy help with the broken rib?

Q: I have been a patient of yours in the past.  One thing always fascinated me that I was wondering if you could explain.  Sometimes I would not tell you where I was hurting and even if it was not the complaint I came to you for, you would drop your hand right on it.  How is it possible for a practitioner to know where the pain is without being told?

A: There is a great deal to this life time and this world we live in, that we cannot see.  A great deal of our world lies in the realm of quantum physics.  This aspect of living which the old time osteopaths were very aware of, has much to do with electromagnetic exchange of information that lies in the realm beyond bombarding of electrons: in the elements yet smaller than the electrons, protons and neutrons. 

Q:  You worked on my horse with osteopathy last month and it won a race later that day.  The results were immediate and now I feel inconsistency in his training sessions a fluctuation where some sessions are like race day and some are really off .  It seems if I am stiff or I have missed my stretching sessions it affects him, do you think I need to be treated to enhance his performance?

A: Many injuries for animals or people come from what we perceive as minor incidental occurrences that are easily overlooked. A twist or a kink that we feel will work it's way out. Sometimes after a fender bender or such symptoms are not felt for months.

Q: My daughter has an incredibly heavy back pack.  How can I help her ward off pains when she grows up that may occur from years of this on going stress on her posture and muscles?

A: One thing to keep in mind, is that a long duration, low intensity stress is as damaging as a quick, high impact injury. The back pack is a low impact, repetitive, long duration stress. Carrying a heavy backpack long term, can make imbalances in the postural muscles such that the scalene muscles, pectoral muscles and psoas muscles are shortened causing forward head, rounded shoulder and lordotic low back posture. 

Q: I am having a chronic problem that seems to go back and forth between my neck and my shoulder.  It seems when one hurts the other one does not and vice versa.  Why would this happen?  

A:  Neck pain can occur in conjunction with shoulder pain for many reasons.  The simplest reason is that a muscle in the neck becomes overused or strained to the point that it develops a trigger point.  Trigger points may develop in for instance the scalene muscles located at the lateral aspect of the neck on both sides that can cause symptoms that radiate into the shoulder even down the arm mimicking rotator cuff symptoms.

February is American Heart Month – a time when we focus our attention on combating the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease.  According to the CDC 770,000 Americans will have a new heart attack in 2008, and 430,000 will experience a recurrent attack.¹ Over 64 million Americans suffer from one or more forms of cardiovascular disease such as elevated blood pressure, coronary disease, heart failure, and stroke.

While many of us wish for a life that is free of stress, harm and bad feelings, the reality is that over the course of our lives we will all encounter difficulties.  It is how we cope with life’s challenges that determine our overall mental health and sense of well-being.  As a psychologist, I continually witness the resilience of the human spirit, as clients I work with overcome tragedy, trauma, and adversity.  They learn skills that allow them to create lives that are valuable, joyful and enriching.   In life there is suffering.  How we approach suffering will affect our overall happiness, mental health and experience in the world. 

     Approximately 15 percent of people in the United States experience pain associated with tempromandibular dysfunction (TMD), however only 1 percent have pain severe enough to seek treatment.  In many cases TMD can be alleviated with nonsurgical treatment or self managed care. Nonaggressive therapy can be both helpful and economical Some common signs and symptoms of TMD may include tenderness or pain of the jaw, aching pain in and around the ear without infection, aching facial pain, frequent headaches, tooth pain or sensitivity, inability to open jaw smoothly or evenly, clicking or popping jaw joints, and an uneven or uncomfortable bite.

In the U.S., diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss among adults often during their most productive years.  It causes up to 24,000 new cases of vision loss each year.

What does diabetes have to do with my eyes and what is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetes can harm your vision, or even cause blindness.  With diabetes, your body does not use and store sugar properly.  High blood sugar levels damage capillaries, small blood vessels connecting arteries and veins.  The damage to the vessels in your eyes is called diabetic retinopathy. 

Many seniors think that new glasses and a stronger prescription is all they need to get back the vision of their youth. The fact is that cataracts may be the cause for the decline in vision. The condition is the leading cause of vision loss among adults 55 and older. In fact, more than half the people over age 65 have some degree of cataract development. 

RECIPE #1:  Puree massive quantities of low-fiber, highly saturated fats and trans fats with highly processed, sugary foods.  Mix in gallons of nutrient-leeching carbonated beverages.  Add very LIMITED fruits and vegetables!  Shake, stir and WAIT!  The transformation WILL take place.  The process involves complicated and intricate biochemical reactions and rapid cellular change.  WHAT is the secret result of this nature-bending, mad-food-scientist experiment?   The answer is: The Average American!